A San Francisco man was acquitted of a felony drug possession charge Thursday afternoon after a jury determined he was unaware that a cookie tin contained crack when he picked it up to use as a water bowl for his puppy.

Unable to afford private attorneys amid a continuing recession, 28,000 San Franciscans turned to the city’s public defender last year –a trend that shows little sign of slowing.
Felony cases handled by the San Francisco Public Defender’s office rose 21 percent over the past two years, according to the office’s Annual Report and 2010 Calendar, released today

A woman who was injured and falsely arrested by police in September has been acquitted of battery upon an officer and resisting arrest, San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi announced today.

Tisha Harvey, a 29-year-old teacher’s aide for disabled preschoolers, is currently cooperating with an Office of Citizen Complaints investigation against the police officer involved in the incident. Jurors unanimously found Harvey not guilty on December 31 after deliberating for one day.

A domestic violence victim accused of fatally stabbing her estranged boyfriend was acquitted Tuesday by a San Francisco jury.

After four days of deliberation, jury members unanimously found DeEbony Smith, 28, not guilty of murder in the Dec. 30, 2008 death of Lazarus Pickett. Smith was also not guilty of voluntary or involuntary manslaughter, jurors found.